January
19, 2001  NOAA's National
Ocean Service released a new report titled, "The Potential
Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal and Marine Resources,"
that concludes that climate changes in this century may have
serious implications for U.S. coastal and marine resources. (Click
image for larger view.)

NOAA scientists are concerned. With a coastline
of over 95,000 miles and a dependency on the essential goods
and services that it provides, the adaptation of the marine environment
to climate change is important. According to scientists, climate
change will add to the stresses already occurring to coastal
and marine resources, as a result of increasing coastal populations,
development pressure and habitat loss, over fishing, nutrient
enrichment, pollution and invasive species.

"While there are still
important uncertainties associated with the assessment, it is
clear that critical coastal ecosystemslike corals,
wetlands and estuariesare becoming increasingly stressed
by human activities," said Margaret
Davidson, acting assistant administrator for NOAA's National
Ocean Service. "The climate-related stresses described in
the report will certainly add to their vulnerability."

"Looking at the findings
of this important report, scientists believe it is critical that
we integrate human activities with climate changes, in order
to minimize future impacts on coastal and marine resources,"
said NOAA Administrator
D. James Baker. "It is very important for those Americans,
who are or will likely be effected by climate impacts, to be
aware of the risks and potential consequences that future change
will pose to their communities and their livelihoods."

The report highlights key issues
of climate changeshoreline erosion and human communities,
threats to estuarine health, coastal wetland survival, coral
reef die-offs, and stresses on marine fisheries. It also states
that coral reefs are already under severe stress from human activities
and high ocean temperatures associated with severe El
Niño/southern oscillation events. According to the
report, corals have experienced unprecedented increases in the
extent of bleaching, emergent coral diseases, and widespread
die-offs in recent years. The direct impact of increasing atmospheric
carbon dioxide on ocean chemistry is likely to severely inhibit
the ability of coral reefs to grow and persist in the future,
further threatening these already vulnerable ecosystems.

Globally averaged, sea levels
will continue to rise, and the developed nature of many coastlines
will make both human settlements and ecosystems more vulnerable
to flooding and inundation. Barrier islands are especially vulnerable
to the combined effects of sea-level rise and uncontrolled development
that hinders or prevents migration. Ultimately, choices will
have to be made between the protection of human settlements and
the protection of coastal ecosystems such as beaches, barrier
islands and coastal wetlands.

Increases in precipitation
and runoff are likely to intensify stresses on estuaries in some
regions, by intensifying the transport of nutrients and contaminants
to coastal ecosystems. As rivers and streams also deliver sediments,
which provide material for soil in wetlands and sand in beaches
and shorelines, dramatic declines in stream flows could, on the
other hand, have negative effects on these systems.

Changes in ocean temperatures,
currents and productivity will affect the distribution, abundance
and productivity of marine populations, with unpredictable consequences
to marine ecosystems and fisheries. Increasing carbon dioxide
levels could also trigger abrupt changes in thermohaline ocean
circulation, circulation driven by differences in the density
of sea water, controlled by the effects of temperature and salinity.
This can result in massive and severe consequences for the oceans
and for global climate. Extreme and ongoing declines in the thickness
and extent of Arctic sea ice will have enormous consequences
for Arctic ecosystems.

"Most coastal resource
management programs are not yet taking climate change into account
in their goals and plans," said Donald F. Boesch, Ph.D.,
the other co-chair of the assessment and president of the University of Maryland Center
for Environmental Science. "With the scientific consensus
that there is now clear evidence of a changing climate, these
programs should clearly begin to take into account the environmental
changes that are possible over the next several decades."